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Monkeys are smart. Though they haven't created cars or trains or weapon, they are educated through simplicity. They flourish on what they have, and if something doesn't work, they don't give up, but they evolve to overcome it. Like monkeys, Shakespeare had no thesaurus, no dictionary, no laptop and no editor. But when he came to a spot where he was at loss for words, he made up his own words. Through practice, perseverance and certainly trial and error, he created works that will last forever.

I am a 13 year old kid who is trying to read and attend live performances of all 37 Shakespeare plays (plus 3 possible collaborations) in 2 years. This is a record of my experiences.

I am now a 19 year old college freshmen at Northwestern University, pursuing a degree in Theatre. The spark of love for Shakespeare that began this blog has grown into a roaring fire. That fire burns a little bit brighter each day. This is where it all began.

PLAY COUNT: 40

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Twelfth Night and Richard III, with Mark Rylance

I’m Back! Since the completion of my quest I’ve been very
busy with regards to Shakespeare. I’ve seen many more productions and
interpretations of his timeless characters. I have not, however, been reviewing
them as I had been. I recently saw two new performances (both by the same cast)
of Richard III and Twelfth Night. Ruminating and
discussing them afterwards lead me to feel the urge to once again document my
opinions of the performances, so I decided to start up the blog again and
continue to just review plays that I happen to see. So, Enjoy!

These two
productions, both starring Mark Rylance and taking place on stage at New York
City’s Belasco Theater, were about as
opposite as two performances by the same cast can be. I will start by
discussing Twelfth Night.

Rylance as Olivia in Twelfth Night

If you’re a
parent, looking to take your kids out for a nice introductory night into the
world of Shakespeare, this is the play for you. The performance is riddled with
slapstick humor, silly costumes and outrageous displays. Performed by an all
male cast, and staring Rylance as the female lead, Olivia, there is certainly
enough awkward innuendo to keep the night interesting. If you are, however, a
Shakespeare aficionado hoping to spend the night being lulled in to the ornate,
fantastical world of love and faint melancholy of Shakespeare’s mystical
masterpiece, you will be disappointed. This magic, which sets Twelfth Night apart from many of the
bard’s comedies, is lost entirely in this SNL style portrayal. Rylance and co.
seem more focused on seeming ridiculous than holding any shred of humanity. Key
elements of the play are therefore lost all together. Malvolio’s (Stephen Fry)
indignant declaration of contempt at the conclusion of the play seemed out of
place and therefore in sharp contrast with the rest of the play. The tender
reunion of the twins seemed utterly forced and one-dimensional, as there was no
context for, what should have been, sentimental joy.

This leads
me to a simple conclusion; they picked the wrong play. They simply picked the
wrong play. Shakespeare’s varied comedies span multiple genres, and he wrote a
number plays that are ideal for this sort of performance. For example, The Merry Wives Of Windsor would have
been ideal for such a portrayal. Arguably his most slapstick play, Comedy of Errors, may have also been a
fit for this cast, especially since it also has twins who are essential to the
plot. But certain comedies, As You Like
It being another example, are only classified with those above because they
too have a happy ending. They are, however, written with a wider range of
emotions and are designed to evoke a far more intellectual response from the
audience members. If they are not treated as such, they lose what makes them
masterpieces, and are reduced to dull comedy like the others in their category
(and not particularly strong comedy at that). Shakespeare fanatics beware!

Rylance with Fry

Now on to
the other hand, Richard III, with
Mark Rylance as the title character, is not a play you want to bring the kids
to. The play in itself is very difficult to follow without prior knowledge of
the plot and language. Rylance offers an interesting incarnation of the
infamous hunchback. Straying from the usual dark nature of the king, he marks
with role with a memorable forced laugh. He repeats this laugh throughout the
performance, often when speaking directly to the audience. Though his mouth
laughs, his eyes show now mirth, inspiring an eerie effect. This sets up his
take on the character as a whole, as he acts as though he is constantly forcing
himself to fit into the society around him. He often changes his tone, playing
up the fakeness of the character by accentuating the constant conforming to
those in the court to gain their trust. While this in itself is a very effective
quality, he loses much of the bloodlust and fiendish nature that is so often
(and rightly so) associated with the character. Though it is not all there is
to him, Richard is, at least partly, a monster. He loves to witness the
destruction of those around him, feeding off strife. Rylance perfectly captures
the wistfulness and deep-seated desire for normality, but fails to be
convincing in his murderous ways. Yet it is certainly worth seeing for
Shakespeare fans, as such an iconic character can never have too many
interpretations and each one illuminates a slightly different aspect of the
role, perhaps one you had not previously perceived.

Rylance as the hunchback

I must also
add that both these shows run in the same time frame, sometimes even on the
same day. The cast displays incredible diversity in their ability to switch
roles. Finding such versatile actors as can play an innocent lady one night and
a warrior the next is not an easy task. While I was not blown away by either, I
maintain that Richard III is
certainly worth the price of the ticket, and Twelfth Night is the perfect way to introduce the kids to
Shakespeare.

Readers, I’m glad to be back, and I
plan on keeping this blog up and running for many months to come!